How to Dye Spot on Seat

[Lenny]

I'm prepping my car for the Celebration Exotic Car Show. There is a worn spot on the drives seat and I want to try and dye it. I posted this before but you can't look up a 3 letter word "Dye" so I apologize for posting twice.

Where can I get Grey dye for my seat. someone posted a link to a company but I tried to call and find the exact dye and couldn't get a response.

It's one of the few flaws on my car "Morpheus" says he likes it because it gives him something to mark wrong on the judging sheet. :biggrin:

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[pezzonovante88]

Try Leatherique. Otherwise, contact a local leather restorer or upholsterer - they should be able to fix that up lickity split!

[Mark D]

I'm also interested to hear about anyone with experience dying the leather part of the seats. I've had good experiences with SEM products for vinyl and plastic...I know they also make products for leather but I've never tried them and I wouldn't know which has good color match.

I've used leatherique for cleaning/conditioning and it is awesome stuff but it won't fix wear spots like that in need of dye/color.

[Lenny]

Try Leatherique. Otherwise, contact a local leather restorer or upholsterer - they should be able to fix that up lickity split!

I just sent them an email with the photos. I'll update once I hear from them.

[pezzonovante88]

I'm also interested to hear about anyone with experience dying the leather part of the seats. I've had good experiences with SEM products for vinyl and plastic...I know they also make products for leather but I've never tried them and I wouldn't know which has good color match.

I've used leatherique for cleaning/conditioning and it is awesome stuff but it won't fix wear spots like that in need of dye/color.

Leatherique actually sells color-matching dye kits, as well. I haven't used it, but I've heard good things.

[Mark D]

Oh, I had no idea they sold dye kits too. Keep us posted with what you find....if they have something that matches the stock color I'd definitely be interested in touching up a few wear spots.

Their conditioning/cleaning products are great so I am hoping the dye is just as good. My seats used to be stretched tight and very tough until I used leatherique...it softened everything up and brought back some of the original pleated/wrinkled look. I have less fear now that they'll suddenly spit open from being shrunken so tight.

[wafflemaster]

Back in high school I worked for a detail shop and we dyed seats all the time. The trick is to remove the entire seat and dye the whole thing. Touching up one spot usually results in a weird area that never quite matches. The owner would show us a small area that needed attention, but we'd always dye the whole thing. They were always shocked at what a good job we did :) A bonus is that when you remove the seats to dye them, you can detail the carpet under the seats 1000x better than without removing them.

I would suggest going to a good upholstery shop and giving them a crack at it, you might escape with a $40 invoice and a great looking seat. Worst case, dye both seats and be happy with "like new" seats!

[David T]

Back in high school I worked for a detail shop and we dyed seats all the time. The trick is to remove the entire seat and dye the whole thing. Touching up one spot usually results in a weird area that never quite matches. The owner would show us a small area that needed attention, but we'd always dye the whole thing. They were always shocked at what a good job we did :) A bonus is that when you remove the seats to dye them, you can detail the carpet under the seats 1000x better than without removing them.

I would suggest going to a good upholstery shop and giving them a crack at it, you might escape with a $40 invoice and a great looking seat. Worst case, dye both seats and be happy with "like new" seats!

Go to leatherique.com

The website has a wealth of information and you can call them up, they are very helpful over the phone. They have the color on file. Get the cleaner, rejuvinator and the dye. If you have any cracks they also sell filler to fix that. If you get the stuff and take your time you can make your seats look like new. You can't just spot dye, you will do the whole seat. And then the other seat and the shift boot, steering wheel and pull straps. The only drawback is you will color the stiching.

[Michael]

That's not a bad place to do a spot repair at all. I actually have dyed a few seats on cars that I have flipped in the past and I can tell you that unless the seat is complete toast, the more factory dye you leave the better you are. Spray on dye is not nearly as durable as factory dye. The trick is not color match so much as the blend and the correct sheen. Even if the exact same dye is used, aging, UV light, wear, etc. has probably changed the seat's color. The closer the dye color the better, but it's not a deal breaker, especially in that location. Most all fresh repairs are flat(dull appearance) compared to a well sat in seat's semi gloss appearance. That can be fixed with a cloth and dressing and some (not too) serious rubbing.

Being a bolster, that part of the seat is very vulnerable to abrasion as it gets the most traffic, so once fixed, treat it with kid gloves. That means no more sliding in and out of the car, you must elevate yourself in and out of the seat from no on to make the repair last. I have NEVER seen a bolster repair last, but again it's all up to how well you stay aware of it.

EDIT: David posted above and once again...you CAN indeed spot dye if you know what you are doing. I can tell you a number of times someone told me I couldn't spot in something only to prove them wrong and achieve a 100% invisible repair....it's called a airbrush or touch up gun. I have been doing this for well over 10 years now. Nothing will be as durable as factory dye, so don't screw it up unless you have to.

[David T]

That's not a bad place to do a spot repair at all. I actually have dyed a few seats on cars that I have flipped in the past and I can tell you that unless the seat is complete toast, the more factory dye you leave the better you are. Spray on dye is not nearly as durable as factory dye. The trick is not color match so much as the blend and the correct sheen. Even if the exact same dye is used, aging, UV light, wear, etc. has probably changed the seat's color. The closer the dye color the better, but it's not a deal breaker, especially in that location. Most all fresh repairs are flat(dull appearance) compared to a well sat in seat's semi gloss appearance. That can be fixed with a cloth and dressing and some (not too) serious rubbing.

Being a bolster, that part of the seat is very vulnerable to abrasion as it gets the most traffic, so once fixed, treat it with kid gloves. That means no more sliding in and out of the car, you must elevate yourself in and out of the seat from no on to make the repair last. I have NEVER seen a bolster repair last, but again it's all up to how well you stay aware of it.

EDIT: David posted above and once again...you CAN indeed spot dye if you know what you are doing. I can tell you a number of times someone told me I couldn't spot in something only to prove them wrong and achieve a 100% invisible repair....it's called a airbrush or touch up gun. I have been doing this for well over 10 years now. Nothing will be as durable as factory dye, so don't screw it up unless you have to.

Well, Yes, you *can* spot dye but it depends on how fussy you are. You will not get exactly the right texture, gloss or sheen. It is not as durable as the original dye but can be OK. Jeans and dirt becomes like sandpaper and can rub the dye right off especially on the bolsters when you slide to get in and out.

[Michael]

Well, Yes, you *can* spot dye but it depends on how fussy you are. You will not get exactly the right texture, gloss or sheen. It is not as durable as the original dye but can be OK. Jeans and dirt becomes like sandpaper and can rub the dye right off especially on the bolsters when you slide to get in and out.

What did I just say? Once again you take what someone else says, reword it and act as if you said it.

[sdg3205]

I just did both of my seats with the dye from Leatherique.

They came out looking great. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine. I had a worn area in the same spot.

I came across some NOS seat bottoms but of course they looked radically different than the 33 yr old well used backs.

I hope it holds up well. I can take a picture tomorrow if you like. I thought about documenting the process but then forgot.

[pezzonovante88]

I just did both of my seats with the dye from Leatherique.

They came out looking great. Follow the instructions and you'll be fine. I had a worn area in the same spot.

I came across some NOS seat bottoms but of course they looked radically different than the 33 yr old well used backs.

I hope it holds up well. I can take a picture tomorrow if you like. I thought about documenting the process but then forgot.

I'd actually like to see a pic, if you get the chance. ;)

[sdg3205]

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[sdg3205]

Rob at Leatherique canada matched my dye to the SEM vinyl dye we use. The colour looks very nice to me. I took a picture of the same spot mentioned earlier on the bolster. Mine was bare there as well.

[pezzonovante88]

Rob at Leatherique canada matched my dye to the SEM vinyl dye we use. The colour looks very nice to me. I took a picture of the same spot mentioned earlier on the bolster. Mine was bare there as well.

Nicely done. Really nice seats - More owners should take the time to do this. I think that often times people think that if the color on their seats is worn in spots that they need new seat covers, when really they just need some recoloring and rejuvenating. The OEM seat covers, to me, are far more attractive than any of the vendor reproduction ones.

Thanks a lot for posting the pics!

[sdg3205]

Nicely done. Really nice seats - More owners should take the time to do this. I think that often times people think that if the color on their seats is worn in spots that they need new seat covers, when really they just need some recoloring and rejuvenating. The OEM seat covers, to me, are far more attractive than any of the vendor reproduction ones.

Thanks a lot for posting the pics!

Thank you very much. I'll stay as close to original as i can for as long as I can. There are only about 6 "bum hours" in those seats, but if I have to spot dye them every couple years, no biggie. I still have 1/4 bottle of dye left.

[Lenny]

Fixed!!!!
I just paid a guy who owns a "Color Glo International" franchise. He had an ad in a neighborhood paper for leather repair. 75 bucks, It would cost 65 for just the dye from Leatherique. He came to the house, sat down in the garage and mixed the color from scratch then dyed it and sprayed the area. It looks good.

If you have a similar problem you may want to see if there is someone in your area from Color Glo.

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[MML]

Fixed!!!!
I just paid a guy who owns a "Color Glo International" franchise. He had an ad in a neighborhood paper for leather repair. 75 bucks, It would cost 65 for just the dye from Leatherique. He came to the house, sat down in the garage and mixed the color from scratch then dyed it and sprayed the area. It looks good.

If you have a similar problem you may want to see if there is someone in your area from Color Glo.

2637926380

That's excellent, you can't even tell it's been done! Parts of my driver's seat are in need of some similar treatment.